1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a protection system, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for protecting vehicles and trailers from unauthorized access.
2. Description of Related Art
Vehicle theft is a major crime problem in the United States. Further, theft of merchandise being transported in trailers, in addition to the value of the vehicles used to transport the merchandise, is also a law enforcement concern. Approximately one billion dollars is spent annually on law enforcement efforts to address vehicle theft and related crimes.
Although vehicle security systems, vehicle location systems such as LOJACK (.TM.), and vehicle alarms make theft of cars and trailers more difficult, these systems do not deter professional vehicle thieves. The chance of apprehension is small, and the rewards of a successful theft are so great, that present systems do not significantly prevent car theft.
Conventional security devices are plagued with numerous drawbacks. First, most vehicle thieves are easily able to defeat the present systems. Second, most car alarms, or suspicious activity around a tractor-trailer, are ignored by the public at large. Further, the present systems do not have a means to stop the thief once the car has been stolen.
The visibility of an alarm, keypad, or other devices that inform thieves that an alarm exists is also a problem, since any visible alarm that deters casual theft also informs professionals that an alarm needs to be disabled.
It can be seen, then, that there is a need for a better means to prevent or deter vehicle theft. It can also be seen, then, that there is a need for a system that is not readily visible to the car thief.